http://limeworks.ucsc.edu Fall/Winter 2009/2010

LIME KILN CHRONICLES Newsletter of the Friends of the Cowell Lime Works Historic District University of , Santa Cruz

The Jordans: Family with a Limerock Conference a Success Foundation Over eighty people attended the Conference on By Judy Steen Lime and Lime Kilns in California History that was A rare, unsigned, lithographic reproduction of a hosted August 8th and 9th by the Friends. By all mea- drawing of a house is in Special Collections, Univer- sures, the conference was a huge success. This was sity Library, UCSC. The title printed at the bottom of the first time a large group of people with this com- the image reads “Residence of A. P. Jordan, Esq., near mon interest met and shared information. Attendees Santa Cruz.” The illustration shows guests arriving for a social event, women in hoop skirts and shawls, men in came from many parts of California and even other frock coats. Horses have already been unhitched from states. carriages. Besides lectures, demonstrations, and exhib- On the verso of the illustration, written by an elderly its, participants also enjoyed a tour of the Cowell hand, is the note: “Taken when Mr. Jordan was alive. He Lime Works Historic District by Friends President is standing on the piazza [and?] myself.” This inscrip- Frank Perry. Judy Steen told about the Jordan family, tion must have been written by Mary Jordan, the wife who lived here in the 1850s and early ‘60s, and Jan of Albion P. Jordan. Jordan, with Isaac E. Davis, was the Dekema explained how one of the historic worker first owner of the ranch and lime works on the property cabins is being restored. The tour was made extra that would become the campus of the University of Cali- fornia, Santa Cruz. Today, the house is known as Cardiff special by the participation of Hal Hyde, who talked House, the campus Women’s Center. It is one of the early about the early use of the historic buildings by the structures in the Cowell Lime Works Historic District. University, and Jo Ann Cacace, whose grandfather Based on the style of the drawing and the distinctive was a cooper and blacksmith at the site. lettering, the image of the house can be attributed to The conference not only elevated public aware- ness of the Historic District, but also raised funds for ongoing educational programs and restoration Collections,

work. The Friends would like to thank our conference UCSC

Special

sponsors for helping make it such a success: The Agricultural History Project, City of Santa Cruz His- Library, toric Preservation Commission, Friends of Santa Cruz courtesy

State Parks, Mountain Parks Foundation, Museum of

Art & History, Pajaro Valley Historical Association, Photo: University Santa Cruz Archaeological Society, and the Santa Lithographic reproduction of a drawing, “Residence of A. P. Jordan, Esq., near Santa Cruz,” by Edward Vischer, ca. 1864- Cruz Museum Association. 1865. Albion P. and Mary Jordan on porch. (continued on p. 3)

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Lime Conference Photos, August 8­–9, 2009 MacKenzie

Jim

photos:

All

Clockwise from top left: Board member Cynthia Mathews, left, chats with lime kiln historian Bob Piwarzyk. Campus Architect Frank Zwart welcomes everyone to the Saturday program. A large crowd gathers at the cabin to hear Jan Dekema tell about the restoration work. Judy Steen lectures about the history of the Jordan family from the front porch of the Cardiff House. Presenters at the Saturday program: (left to right): Pat Paramoure, Julia Costello, David Dawson, Sally Morgan, Mike Dalbey, Bob Piwarzyk, Karin Goetter, and Frank Perry. Participants examine the kilns up close and learn how lime was made. Field trip participants gather at the historic entrance to the former Cowell residence (now Cardiff House).  Lime Kiln Chronicles h Fall/Winter 2009/2010

(The Jordans, continued from p. 1) Edward Vischer, the nineteenth-century, German-born artist and photographer. Vischer produced some of the earliest images of California landscapes, missions, and residences, including nearly a dozen in Santa Cruz County in the 1860s. Though undated, the Vischer drawing of the ranch house must have been made when the Jordans resided there, between May 1864 and July 1865. A newspaper

Perry article reported that “Mr. A. P. Jordan is building a new

residence in that most delightful situation overlooking Frank

the town and the Bay of Monterey, long since selected as a sight [sic] for the building, near the lime-works of Davis

Photo: and Jordan” (Santa Cruz Sentinel, May 14, 1864). From the The Cookhouse probably dates from the 1880s. broad front porch, one would have had a sweeping view Plaque to be Unveiled of the few farmhouses that dotted the landscape below and of the broad expanse of Monterey Bay. Members are cordially invited to a very special event Coincidentally, A. P. Jordan and Mary (Perry) Jordan on Friday, October 30th: the unveiling of a bronze plaque each arrived in Santa Cruz in 1853. A. P. was born in commemorating placement of the district on the National Brunswick, Maine, in 1826. He arrived in California in Register of Historic Places. This is a good opportunity to meet other members of the Friends and to join with University and government dignitaries, including Chancellor George Blumenthal, as we celebrate this important recognition. The ceremony will take place at the Cookhouse, starting at 4:00 p.m. Parking will be available in the Barn Theater parking lot. collection Notice to Members There will be a short business meeting at the Cookhouse author’s conference room, 3:30 p.m., before the plaque unveiling on October 30. The purpose will be to elect members to the Board of Directors of the Friends. The nominees Photos: are: Peg Danielson, Joe Michalak, and Frank Perry (3 year Albion P. Jordan, 1826-1866, and Mary Elizabeth (Perry) Jordan (Mrs. Albion P. Jordan; later, Mrs. Pierce B. Fagen), 1837-1915. terms), Tremain Jones and Jim MacKenzie (2 year terms), Mary Elizabeth Jordan photo by Bradley & Rulofson, noted San and Cynthia Mathews (1 year term). All members are Francisco photographers, established in 1863. invited to attend. 1849 and in Santa Cruz in 1853. That year, A. P. and his partner Davis acquired land and started the burning and New Members shipping of lime at the base of today’s UCSC campus. A. P. was soon on his way to becoming a prosperous and Sandra L. Cohen respected businessman. Julia Costello/Foothill Resources Ltd. Mary Elizabeth Perry was born in Falmouth, Mas- Lisa Franceschi sachusetts, in 1837, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Karin Goetter and Trent Beck (Greene) Perry. John Perry arrived in Santa Cruz about Douglas P. Ley and Linda Gaudiani 1852. The following year, he built the Perry home and Craig and Dusty Miller sent for his wife and their three children, Mary, Charles, Glenn Thomas Oppenheim and Alphonso. Perry was already an established carpen- Alverda Orlando ter before leaving for California from Martha’s Vineyard, Business & Organization Members Massachusetts. He also drew his own plans to work from. Cabrillo Civic Cubs of California Perry built several residential, commercial, and public Pacific Legacy, Inc. buildings in Santa Cruz, some of which still survive. The Redtree Properties, L. P. 1864 Jordan ranch house is attributed to Perry. Ristorante Avanti Mary began teaching children in her parents’ home (continued on next page)

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(The Jordans, continued) that took over two months. He was buried in Evergreen and was an assistant to Eliza Farnham, the noted early Cemetery on January 26, 1867. feminist of Santa Cruz. Mary lived less than a block away A newspaper tribute to A. P. spoke of him as “uni- from Farnham’s soul mate and women’s rights advocate, versally esteemed and loved by those sustaining busi- Georgiana Bruce Kirby. ness relations with him… [and] that he was a good man Mary Perry and Albion Jordan were married in Santa to work for, being kind and affable, and caring for the Cruz in 1859. It has not been determined exactly where interests of his employees. He was a noble and warm they lived from the date of their marriage until they friend, always pleasant, and quick with a word from the moved into the ranch house. The couple had three chil- heart. He was a ready and interested citizen, perfectly dren. May (some sources cite as Mary) born in 1860 (died upright in dealing, and ever willing to help a good cause in 1862); followed by a second daughter, Marion, in 1862; with true generosity” (Santa Cruz Sentinel, February 2, and son, Peter, in 1865. That same year, May died. 1867). Mary Jordan was one of the wealthiest widows in town. She and her two surviving children, Marion and Peter, lived on Union Street, next to the Perry family home, about a mile from the old Jordan ranch house. In 1873 Mary wed prominent physician and banker Dr. Pierce B. Fagen, a widower nearly twenty years her senior with two grown sons. In 1885 she had the original Perry family home moved a short distance, from the corner of Mission and Union to its current site at 114 Escalona collection Drive (formerly Davis Street), near the end of Jordan Street. The Perry house has been designated a Santa Cruz

author’s City Landmark. Mary then had constructed on the origi-

nal Perry family home-site a Queen Anne mansion; its

Photo: gardens were among the finest in the city. The mansion Home of John and Elizabeth Perry, parents of Mary (Mrs. Albion was demolished in 1955 for a proposed business dis- P. Jordan). Built by John Perry in 1853 at corner of Mission and trict bypass. The lot sat empty for three decades, until it Union Streets; moved in 1885 to current location, 114 Escalona Drive. Mary’s brother Charles Perry standing on steps. became the site of the current characterless office build- ing and parking lot. In 1863 the Jordans traveled to Southern California for A. P.’s health. The Santa Cruz Sentinel expressed its happiness that, after six weeks, “our esteemed fellow citizen, A. P. Jordan Esq. and his lady have returned from their trip to San Pedro and Los Angeles, … Mr. Jordan … returns in general health, although either from having experienced much heavy weather and sea sickness in the passage up the coast, or from coming suddenly into the bracing climate of Santa Cruz, he does not feel as well as when breathing the Indian air of Los Angeles” (October 24, 1863). Michalak A. P. continued to be plagued by health problems. Joe Nevertheless, in 1864 the Jordans moved into their new home, and in March the following year, son Peter Albion Photo: Jordan was born. In July 1865, the Jordans sold their half Entrance to path leading to Cardiff House, off High Street, interest in the firm of Davis & Jordan to Henry Cowell 2009. for $100,000. They retained, however, other land and Daughter Marion Jordan married Herbert Cox, a many shares in the California Powder Works, located at teacher and vice-principal of Santa Cruz High School. the site of today’s Paradise Park. Hoping that a change of They had one child, Gertrude. Son Peter Albion Jordan climate might restore A. P.’s health, the Jordan family left became a wholesale grocer and importer and married for Maine. Eighteen months later, on November 14, 1866, Blanche Hartwell. They were the parents of four chil- A. P. Jordan died in Maine. Jordan’s body, accompanied dren. The Peter Jordan family lived in Alameda, but they by his family, returned by to Santa Cruz, a trip also retained ownership of a home in Santa Cruz, where they frequently visited relatives and spent summers.

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Many members of the Perry, Jordan, and Cox families are buried in Evergreen Cemetery, the pioneer cemetery on the hillside near Harvey West Park. The late Marion Kathleen (Jordan) Asche—great- great-granddaughter of John and Elizabeth Perry, great- granddaughter of Albion P. and Mary Jordan, grand- daughter of Peter Albion Jordan, and daughter of Peter’s son, Albion P. Jordan—returned to live in Santa Cruz in 1959, with her husband, Douglas Asche, and their five children. Marion died on April 10, 1991. Douglas died on collection

author’s

Michalak

Joe

Photo: Mary Jordan, her mother, daughter, and granddaughter, photo early 1890s. Left to right: Gertrude Jordan Cox, 1885-1902, Photo: Mary’s granddaughter; Marion Augusta (Jordan) Cox, 1862- Cardiff House, 2009. Originally, Jordan home. (Photo by Joe 1901 (Mrs. Herbert E. Cox), Mary’s daughter; Mary Elizabeth Michalak) (Perry) Jordan Fagen, 1837-1915 (Mrs. A. P. Jordan, and later, Mrs. Pierce B. Fagen); and Elizabeth (Greene) Perry, 1814- September 4, 2009, in Santa Cruz, survived by four of his 1902 (Mrs. John B. Perry), Mary’s mother. five children, ten grandchildren, and eight great-grand- For forty-nine years after A. P.’s death, Mary was children. The most recent descendent of A. P. and Mary active with her family, her home and other properties, Jordan is great-great-great-great-granddaughter Jordan the First Congregational Church, and many charities and Asche, born in Santa Cruz in July 2009. civic organizations, including the Kindergarten Board, Though Albion and Mary Jordan lived in the ranch the Woman’s Aid Society, the Red Cross, the Santa Cruz house for little more than a year, and A. P. lived in Santa Improvement Association, and the Decorative Art Soci- Cruz only twelve years, their family history in Santa Cruz ety and Women’s Exchange. Mary registered to vote in has continued through eight generations. Walking up the 1912, the first year that women could vote in California. path off High Street to Cardiff House, past the gnarled She listed her occupation as “Capitalist.” trunks of old trees, some of them nearly one hundred Mary (Perry) Jordan Fagen died on October 18, 1915, and fifty years old—cypress, walnut, deodar cedar, black at the age of seventy-eight, at her son’s home in Alameda, locust, elm, hawthorn—and arriving at the quaint, yel- after attending the Panama Pacific International Exposi- low ranch house, one is transported back in time and tion in . In her obituary, it was said that place to those first generations of Jordans, who became “few people have ever resided in a place whose life has one of the founders of the lime industry and progenitors touched as many as that of Mrs. Fagen, a woman who of a long line of Santa Cruz citizens. was most charitable and whose one thought was that of helping and doing good. She belongs to a class that is fast For contributing to this article, acknowledgments to vanishing of those who have stood for all that was pure, the late Marion Jordan Asche, for her efforts in preserving noble and best from the pioneer days in California until the Jordan family history and Santa Cruz history and shar- now.” Also mentioned was that “she lived for many ing it with the community; to the Friends of the Cowell years at what is now the Cowell home, near the kilns, Lime Works Historic District, especially Frank Perry and and the older people will remember the hospitality there Joe Michalak; to Sally Morgan, Senior Environmental Plan- and of the many gatherings out doors at the beautiful ner, Physical Planning & Construction, UCSC; to Roger groves on the place” (Santa Cruz Surf, October 18, 1915; Edberg, arborist, Assistant Superintendent, Ground Ser- Santa Cruz Sentinel, October 19, 1915). vices, UCSC; and to Christine Bunting, Head of Special Collections and Archives, University Library, UCSC. (continued on next page)

 Lime Kiln Chronicles h Fall/Winter 2009/2010

(The Jordans, continued) Author Judy Steen is a historian, retired UCSC librar- ian, and editor of The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture, 3rd Edition. She resides in the historic Perry House.

References Asche, Marion Jordan, comp. [A. P. Jordan Biographical Information]. Compilation of newspaper articles and extracts from historical, biographical, and genealogical books. Typed. 22 unnumbered pages. Harrison, Edward S. History of Santa Cruz County, Cali- fornia. San Francisco: Pacific Press Publishing Co., 1892, pp. 48, 333. Biography of Mrs. P. B. Fagen and photo of mansion. Martin, Edward. History of Santa Cruz County, California, with Biographical Sketches. Los Angeles: Historic Record Co., 1911, pp. 301-303. Biography of A. P. Jordan. Palmquist, Peter E. and Thomas R. Kailbourn. Pioneer Photographers of the Far West: A Biographical Dictionary, 1840-1865. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2000, pp. Michalak

571-573. Biography of Edward Vischer. Joe Perry, Frank A., Robert W. Piwarzyk, Michael D. Luther, Alverda Orlando, Allan Molho, and Sierra L. Perry. Lime

Kiln Legacies: The History of the Lime Industry in Santa Photo: Cruz County. Santa Cruz: Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, 2007. District Popularity Grows Santa Cruz newspaper articles While we do not yet have a formal tour program, “Albion P. Jordan [Obituary].” Santa Cruz Sentinel, over the past year representatives of the Friends have February 2, 1867. given a number of tours of the district and lectures “Death of Mrs. Mary E. Fagen.” Santa Cruz Surf, October to civic groups. Among those who toured the district 18, 1915. were the UCSC alumni, the Cabrillo Civic Club, “Death Calls Mrs. Mary Fagen.” Santa Cruz Sentinel, attendees of the lime conference, and classes from De October 19, 1915. Anza College and UCSC. Lectures were given to the “Improvements in Santa Cruz.” Santa Cruz Sentinel, May 14, 1864. Lifelong Learners and the El Camino Real Chapter of the Daughters of the . If you are involved with an organization who would like to learn more about the lime works and local history, please email us at [email protected]. Tours and lectures will be available over the coming year on a limited basis.

(Top) Campus alumni tour the historic limeworker cabins.

(Left) John Barnes, Director of Campus Planning, and Frank Perry, President of the Friends, with a “Certificate of Michalak Appreciation” given to the Friends by the City of Santa Cruz

Joe Historic Preservation Commission.

Photo:  Lime Kiln Chronicles h Fall/Winter 2009/2010

Join the Friends of the Annual Individual/Family Membership Options: Cowell Lime Works Historic District  $25 Student member Your membership donation will help to restore, preserve, and interpret this historic site.  $35 Quarry Worker All of our Friends receive invitations to special tours and events, biannual newsletter, opportu-  $60 Wood Chopper nities to volunteer on restoration projects, and opportunities to be a docent for historic district  $100 Cooper tours.  $250 Kiln Worker In addition, memberships at the $100 cate- gory or above receive benefits provided by the UC Santa Cruz Foundation, including their names in  $500 Teamster the annual Honor Roll of Donors, a subscription to UCSC Review, and invitations to campus and  $1,000 Superintendent Friends Groups events. Memberships are tax-deducible as allowed by law. UC Santa Cruz Foundation Federal Tax Payment method: ID #23-7394590. * ___Online with credit card. Join now at http://giving.ucsc. Mission Statement edu. Please specify “Friends of Cowell Historic Lime Works” in comment field. The mission of the Friends of the Cowell Lime Works Historic District is to aid in the documenta- tion, restoration, preservation, and interpretation ___By check. Make enclosed check payable to “UCSC of the historic lime kilns and related structures Foundation.” Please specify “Lime Works” on memo and buildings of the Cowell Lime Works Historic line. District and other historic sites on the campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz. Board Members Name______Frank Perry, President Joe Michalak, Vice President Peg Danielson Address______Tremain Jones Jim MacKenzie Cynthia Mathews City ______State_____Zip______Ex officio Board Members: George Blumenthal, Chancellor Frank Zwart, AIA, Associate Vice Chancellor & Campus Architect Phone ______John Barnes, Director, Campus Planning Advisory Board: Ashley Adams Email ______Karin Goetter Robert W. Piwarzyk David Subocz Mail check to:

Staff Liaison: Friends of the Cowell Lime Works Historic District Sally Morgan, Senior Environmental Planner, Mail Stop PP&C Physical Planning & Construction University of California Sandy Schmidt, Executive Assistant 1156 High Street University Sponsor: Santa Cruz, CA 95064 Office of Physical Planning & Construction

 Lime Kiln Chronicles h Fall/Winter 2009/2010

of the cabin. The exterior will be whitewashed as it was originally. Only a few remnants of the original white- wash have survived, mostly under the eaves. Perry

Frank

Photo: Volunteers work on shoring the cabin in preparation for repairing the foundation.

Cabin Restoration Continues Work on restoring one of the historic limeworker cabins continued over the summer. The foundation on the west end was excavated with the help of archaeolo- gists, and the support posts were removed, repaired and reinstalled. As soon as archaeological work is finished Perry on the inside, work will begin on replacing or repairing floor joists. In the meantime, repairs are being made to Frank the siding, including fixing cracks and replacing wood that has rotted. Photo: The goal is to restore the cabin to its appearance Weathered wood on a cabin wall. around 1910, the date of the oldest known photograph

Friends of the Cowell Lime Works Historic District Mail Stop PP&C University of California 1156 High Street Santa Cruz, CA 95064